Fly Boy
by Matthias Tiertu
Summary: Merlin AU, Slash. The Emrys family have been leading a happy life in RAF Camelot, but after Balinor's death will Merlin and Hunith be allowed to remain? And what will happen when a chance meeting crosses the paths of Merlin and Arthur, one of the RAF's most talented fighter pilots?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters, or make any money from this. I mean no harm, just a fun story for those who wish to read it. =)

**Author's Note: **Welcome to my first ever fanfic! I'm not sure why I settled on this RAF/military theme, I just had this thought of the medieval best-knight Arthur being this era's equivalent of a self-sure talented fly boy. If there are any inacuracies in that, I apologise in advance. I am not a military person, so I'm having to do the best I can! I would love any reviews and comments, I'm new to this so it is all very much appreciated.

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"I am very sorry for your loss , Merlin." Group Captain Percival, Station Commander of RAF Camelot, slowly rose from where he had been sat in the Emrys family's living room and replaced his hat. Once it was in place he gave a last nod and sympathetic gaze to the new widow and her son, before seeing himself out. The family had barely move in the past few minutes while he had broken the news to them that Flight Lieutenant Balinor Emrys had been killed in a tragic training accident. He sighed softly to himself as he shut the front door behind him, glancing up and down the road at the terraced houses that made up the married quarters for RAF personnel and their families. He felt the presence of all those in the houses around him, but could see no sign of any of them. They were all staying safe inside their houses, thanking whichever God they chose that it had not been their loved one who had been taken from them. Everyone knew the reason why the Station Commander visited a family in their own home. But what they didn't know was that no-one was safe, not even behind the comfort of their own locked door. Percival stepped forward to the waiting car and got inside, looking back with a melancholy air as the driver started up the engine and drove away. Percival had been the Station Commander of RAF Camelot for the past three years, responsible for the military personnel stationed there. His station contained one of the best groups of fighter pilots in Albion's history, the pride of the military. While the new hot-shots were generally young men making a name for themselves it was the steady skill and experience of those like Balinor that made the team so successful. His loss would be sorely felt, and it was now time for him to break to news to those of his team who didn't yet know about his untimely demise.

Several minutes passed in silence in the living room, punctuated only by the ticking of the clock on the mantelpiece. The muffled sound of a car engine starting filtered through to them, and its retreating hum as it drove away. Merlin blinked, and blinked again, the world not seeming to move in time with his brain. His father was dead. How could this be? He had been one of the most talented fighter-pilots on the base, one of the core elite who could always be confident of getting things right, a natural. Being a member of Albion's military carried its risks, everyone knew that. But this was so unexpected, out of the blue. They weren't even at war now, for crying out loud! How could this happen? A stifled sob suddenly wrenched him back into reality, and he turned suddenly to look at his mother. Hunith had risen while Merlin had been staring off into space and now stood by the mantelpiece, one hand reaching out to gently brush a picture of her family containing her smiling husband. Her other hand was pressed firmly against her mouth, trying to hold back the rush of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Merlin cursed silently to himself – he wasn't the only person suffering here! – and rushed over to his mother and wrapped his arms around her, whispering fiercely "Don't worry, I'm here for you. We're going to get through this." It proved too much for Hunith who started to sob uncontrollably, turning towards her son so that she could wrap her arms around him also, pulling his head down onto her shoulder. Merlin buried his head into his mother's shoulder, feeling as though he were a young child again, being comforted after banging his knee. Except this time the hurt would go much deeper, and remain with both of them for a long, long time. He felt the burning heat of his tears as they fought their way past his eyelids, and he too began to cry.

The next several days passed in a blur for them both, with one stark contrast – the funeral. Even though each moment from that day was stamped crystal clear into Merlin's it still seemed unreal, as though he were watching someone else's life unfold before him. There was a full military funeral with all the formality and honour it accorded endless rows of crisply pressed uniforms and mirror-bright black shoes. The rest of Balinor's group of fighter pilots was there, and it seemed that not a second went by without someone or other saluting, and there wasn't a single smile to be seen anywhere. Not that this was a happy occasion of course, but Merlin was really starting to feel the strain of sleepless nights and mournful days. At the end when it was all over Merlin and his mother walked out towards the sunlight. Everyone from the base crowded round them, not impeding their passage but offering their support for this most difficult part of the service – the final walk away, the last goodbye, never to see each other in this life again. There were murmuring voices all around, saying how sorry they were, that they would miss such a good man, that the family should call on them whenever they had need. There were hugs from the women, a squeeze on the shoulder from the men, and Merlin even felt a hand brush against his at one point but was unable to identify who it was; his eyes had filled with tears again and he was barely able to see where he was going.

The night after the funeral as Merlin lay awake and sleepless in his bed, he finally started to think about the future. His father had been serving military personnel, entitled to accommodation for himself and his family whilst serving Albion. What would happen to him and his mother now his father was dead? He had been born here, lived his entire life within military confines, all his friends were sons or daughters of fellow military personnel. He didn't think he even had any family left who lived in the civilian world. He was fairly sure his mother would be allowed to continue living on base; she was a teacher at the primary school on site. But what would become of him? He had turned eighteen a few months ago and received his A Level results just a few weeks ago. Thoughts of going to university had been gently talked about by his mother, but that would mean leaving the base – something that scared Merlin a little, but he hadn't told anyone else that. Besides, what would he do at University? He had no particular vocation towards anything in particular. The military, whilst being something he was intimately comfortable with, wasn't an option for him either. Despite constant feeding-up from his mother, and his father continually taking him out for 'fun' activities (assault courses, rock climbing, mountain biking – but Merlin was so clumsy they rarely ever ended well) he remained tall and slender, definitely not one of the hurly-burly, save-the-world, macho types. Before today he had never really worried about the future. He had never been able to explain it satisfactorily, but he had this feeling that he would know what to do with his life one day, almost as if he were destined for something. He huffed as he sat up in bed, trying to beat his pillow into a more agreeable shape so that he could try and get some sleep. Tomorrow he would start to look about the base, see if there was anything he could do to make his position here more stable.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters, or make any money from this. I mean no harm, just a fun story for those who wish to read it. =)

**Author's Note: **Well! I've read fanfics here for a while, and occasionally got that tetchy feeling when your favourite story isn't being up-dated often enough for your liking and you just have to know what's going to happen. Know what I mean? I understand now! I love all my fellow authors even more now. You are all brilliant stars. So, in this chapter I finally introduce Arthur to the mix. Fairly slow building, but I hope you all appreciate the ride. Getting there will be even more spectacular!

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"Congratulations Merlin, we'd be delighted to offer you the job." Gaius beamed and clapped the young man warmly on the shoulder before moving off to stack the shelves, leaving Merlin standing there stunned and speechless. Will moved excitedly up to fill the space Gaius had left and slung an arm around Merlin's shoulders in a much more familiar manner, grinning from ear to ear. "What did I tell you, mate? The job's yours!" He whooped joyfully, before steering Merlin out of the Naffi. The Naffi was RAF Camelot's version of a corner store, usually staffed by non-military members of the base. Guinevere – the wife of Pilot Officer Lancelot – had just finished working there after five years, having finally called it quits with the impending birth of her third child. Even with the eldest about to enter school she'd stated that she could no longer handle keeping home and holding down a full-time job with three children added into the equation. This had worked in Merlin's favour, offering up a rare full-time non-military job on base, and even though it wasn't a glamorous job he was still thrilled that it was his. As he strolled down the road with Will, he ran it through quickly in his head. Today was Friday, and Gaius said he could start first thing on Monday morning. He shook his head in awe at the sheer luck of it all, before laughing out loud and slinging his own arm about Will. Will was his oldest and best friend who he had met on his very first day at school on base. Merlin had been five, happily playing by himself on the hop-scotch when he had tripped and fallen, scraping his knee. As he had sat on the tarmac, sniffling mightily and fighting back tears, a hand had suddenly reached down to him. Following it up he had been met by a mop of unruly brown hair and a beaming smile, and suddenly his knee didn't seem to hurt so bad. They had been friends from that day forward. It wasn't long now before Will would be leaving for University, and Merlin knew he would keenly miss his best friend. But that time wasn't upon them yet, and with Friday night fast approaching and a cause to celebrate spread before them, their plans for the evening seemed pretty clear – The Soaring Dragon.

The Soaring Dragon seemed like a pretty tacky name but was actually a fairly decent bar, and a very apt name for a base that boasted one of the best groups of fighter pilots. There also wasn't a whole load of options when picking your venue for your evening off on a military base. Arthur shrugged his shoulders inside his crisp white short-sleeved shirt. Even out of uniform he couldn't help but keep his civilian attire neat and smart, shirts ironed and shoes cleaned. Hell, he'd even shaven before coming out. He raised his pint glass and took a sip of the cold refreshing larger, and took a look around him. In his direct vicinity were some of his closest friends; Gwaine, Lancelot, Elyan and Leon. It wasn't all that common that they all had the same day off, let alone a Friday night, and none of them were on tomorrow morning either which was an obscene amount of luck. Their plan for tonight was to get drunk – never too drunk of course, they had reputations to maintain – and to relax properly for the first time since their comrade Balinor's death. It was nice to see Lance out and about - with an ever expanding young family free time to spend with the lads was an ever decreasing luxury. Gwaine you could never tear away from the bar if he had the evening off, whereas Leon and Elyan were generally a more laid-back pair. Arthur let a small smile start to play about his lips. He was always being told by his friends that he took life too seriously, that he didn't know how to relax, but he had a feeling that tonight he might be able to unwind a little. This evening looked set to be fun.

Merlin was laughing so hard that he thought he might fall over, so hung onto Will instead. This didn't prove out to be as good an idea as he thought as Will was laughing just as hard as he was. Freya and Morgana were giggling away themselves, reaching for their wine glasses and taking sips in-between hiccups of mirth. The girls were fellow classmates of theirs and they had all been friends for years. As the boys finally calmed down they were able to reach for their own pint glasses a gulp down mouthfuls of beer. The evening had been in full swing for a couple of hours now and most people in the bar were well on their way to becoming inebriated. Merlin leaded back against the end of the bar where their group had gathered and flicked his head back slightly, throwing his messy black bangs out of his blue eyes and allowing him to survey the busy room. It was a very good turn-out tonight, and the feel was one of good-natured humour. Nearly everyone in the room knew everyone else in one way or another; that was how things worked here on the base. His eyes suddenly alighted upon an unfamiliar blond-haired figure with eyes as blue as his own. Even out of uniform it was obvious what his day-job would be. His muscular shoulders filled out his shirt, the short-sleeves showing off his well-muscled arms, and his entire posture and how he carried himself screamed military, quite probably an officer, some hot-shot fly boy. He looked young though, no flecks of silver in his hair or lines etched into his handsome face. And he was undeniably handsome; there was no point in trying to conceal the fact. He could probably smile and have any woman in the bar zipping to his side and hanging off his every word for the rest of the night. So why was it he was in a group that was entirely male? He couldn't be gay surely, that was still something that was rarely encountered in the military and hardly ever publicly announced. Merlin wandered if there could be even the slightest chance that he was… "Hey, Mer!" Will was starting to slur slightly, punching Merlin's arm playfully when he failed to respond to him the first time he called. "Freya was just saying…" Merlin let himself be brought back into the conversation with his friends, trying to rid his mind of preoccupying thoughts about a certain good-looking blond.


End file.
